Feelings
by nana chan the weird
Summary: He didn’t know what god he had obviously angered in a past life to make his class have Horio and Tomoko both in it. The others weren’t too bad; they were quiet and rather unannoying. The other girl was a little strange. Reflection on Ryoma.
1. Chapter 1: Ryoma

**Title:** Feeling

**Author:** Nana-chan the weird

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** He didn't know what god he had obviously angered in a past life to make his class have Horio and Tomoko both in it. The others weren't too bad; they were quiet and rather unannoying. The other girl was a little strange

**Author's Note:** So this is my first Prince of Tennis fic. It delves a little into the character of Echizen Ryoma. Whenever I look at prince of tennis there's always someone who accuses Ryoma of being unfeeling and general jerk. It really annoys me because from what I see he isn't one. The moments are few and far between but every so often you'll see something that lets you know that he does care about the people in his life.

* * *

People thought that Ryoma was a sarcastic stubborn little twit. If he ever heard them say this he would have to disagree. Tennis is a game of strategy; it's all one big mind game. The one with the strongest mind, the least naïve, would ultimate win and Ryoma was anything but naïve. Sure he was stubborn but he had to be. It's considered a good thing to be so in tennis. It's like never wanting to give up, stubbornness just helps you along your path to ultimate victory. Sure he was sarcastic but it was part of the game to toy with other people, at least he wasn't sadistic like Fuji, who would toy with every victim he could find. He is not a twit either, as a matter of fact this is what he would be the most offended about. The word twit implies that you have no knowledge about the subject at hand. Anyone who implies that Echizen Ryoma knew nothing about tennis would be gravely mistaken, he would make sure that their thought process would be remedied very quickly.

Even though he was stubborn Echizen Ryoma liked to believe that he was an open minded sort of person. He was always open to new things; he would at least try something once before giving up on it. He tried playing doubles with Momoshiro; it wasn't his fault that he and his best friend didn't know each other well enough back then, truly what were they suppose to do play truth or dare to get to know each other? Anyway you look at it they had known each other for a week before deciding to play doubles together. Neither knew much about the others style and abilities, a match-up like that was bound to be doomed. It really didn't surprise them that they were asked to never play doubles again. They still went to street courts occasionally but they were more likely to be found at the burger joint. They don't even know why they're friends at all. Momo likes to talk and Ryoma isn't exactly patient with listening to Momo's so called "pointless babblings". They'd had their arguments just like everyone else but even after one you would still see Momo going pick Ryoma up anyway, even if they hadn't forgiven each other yet. He even went out his way to pick him up for tournaments since Ryoma did have such a nasty habit of sleeping in.

Mornings were an evil that Ryoma wished he could do without. Karupin usually woke him up. He stayed up at night playing tennis, reading tennis magazines, and doing his homework. The waking up process usually went something like this: Karupin would scratch on his door wanting to go out, Ryoma would ignore him and shove his head between his pillows and go back to sleep, Nanako-san would call him down for breakfast, he would go back to sleep, Nanjiro would let Karupin out and wake him up, Ryoma would get dressed and go back to sleep, until finally Rinko would finally manage to get him up and eat breakfast until Momo came. The thought of Rinko getting angry was the only thing that him out of bed. School was a long blur for him. He had no problem in any of his classes unlike some senpai he could name.

He didn't know what god he had obviously angered in a past life because someone had made his class have Horio and Tomoko both in it. The others weren't too bad; they were quiet and generally unannoying. The other girl was a little strange. She always stared at him for some odd reason and would seem to get embarrassed whenever he caught her at it. Lunch was never a quiet affair. It seemed like there was always a sempai dropping by whether it was Inui with a new training schedule or Momo with pleas for help with his English homework.

After school was devoted to club time. This was when he had fun. It might not seem like it but the senpais were really his favorite people to be around. His favorite times though would be after practice when everyone was going home and Momo and he would make a detour to play street tennis, or eat at a burger shop, or pick up something at one of the local stores. Sometimes Eiji would come too and that was headache inducing for the poor Ryoma but after a while he got used to it.

Fighting over food with everyone after a tournament almost became second nature and even though he would never admit it he enjoyed the time that he spent with his team. The only times that he spent with his team that he could remember hating were ones that involved Inui Juice. Everyone hated Inui Juice with a passion and it seemed as if there was an all out war involved in not being the loser of what ever the game, including that time with bowling and volleyball.

He never was much good at any other sports, excluding ones like badminton and ping pong. He spent his whole life training for tennis so it surprised him when he learned that Momo was good at basketball. The only time he ever played basketball he hadn't actually played basketball. He used a broom and a tennis ball until Momo showed at the right time, as always, and gave him a tennis racket to use.

It was strange how Momo always showed up at the right time. The time with the can of rocks, saving him from Arai-baka's anger, the time with Karupin, hell it seemed as if anytime Ryoma needed help Momo was there. It almost angered him at how well Momo knew him. Perhaps if he wasn't as sarcastic and stubborn he wouldn't need Momo's help but then again where the fun in that be? All Ryoma knew was that if Momo and he played doubles again they wouldn't lose. They knew each other too well for it to be a problem.

So while some people may say that Ryoma is a selfish cold jerk the team of Seigaku knows better then that. Because sometimes when he thought they weren't looking they could see a smile light up his face, or a laugh emerge from his mouth, or a blush settle on his cheeks and then they knew that he was more caring and feeling then anyone would ever truly know.

End


	2. Chapter 2: Momo

**Title:** Feeling

**Author:** Nana-chan the weird

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** When Momo voiced his surprise Horio and Tomo both explained, in their obnoxiously loud voices, that Echizen had lived in America and didn't need to stay awake in English class to do well. While Momo felt sorry for Echizen having the most annoying people in the school in his class but he let that go when he realized he found an English tutor.

**Author's Note:** So this is my first Prince of Tennis fic. It delves a little into the character of Echizen Ryoma and in this chapter Momoshiro Takeashi. It kind of tries to explain their relationship and also tries to show Momo as more then a huge lumbering idiot.

Chapter two: Momo-senpai

Momoshiro Takeashi was not stupid. He knew that many people thought that he was but that didn't bother him in the slightest bit. After all everything was okay there were "no worries, no worries". Sometimes it fun to pretend to not understand something. Sometimes he would ask a question wanting to hear the typical "mada mada dane" reply. It was good to have some form of normality in his life. So while Momoshiro didn't care if they called him stupid he personally took offense to it if he heard someone calling Ryoma a coldhearted sarcastic little twit.

When Momo first met Ryoma he had thought that he was just an egotistical kohai that needed to be taught a lesson so he told him the way to the soccer fields not to the tennis courts. His second impression wasn't very good either. Well at least this time he was actually helping someone but he still wasn't treating his elders with any respect. Momo decided that something had to be done about his attitude. Their match didn't go very far. He had noticed that Momo's ankle was sprained and therefore he shouldn't even have been trying to play tennis. Perhaps that was when Momo first gained some respect for his kouhai.

In retrospect he couldn't even remember when exactly they became friends. He could remember the first time they went out to burgers with each other though. It must have been the day after Ryoma became an official regular. He and Eiji were standing together talking loudly about how they were excited about a new burger store that they found; they had been planning to go together after practice. Momo had noticed a strange look in Echizen's eyes and had invited him along partially because he was curious and partially because he knew that look. It was a look of hunger. It surprised him that Echizen even agreed. So when it was time to go Momo noticed that he had planned on walking, but that just wouldn't do. The burger place was fifteen minutes away on foot. So Momo offered him a ride. At first the younger boy had been stubborn but after using his age old tactic of talking his mouth off the younger boy agreed. Momo secretly smiled in victory. He knew how to get his way without it seeming like he was even trying.

By the end of the week it had become habit to give Echizen a ride to and from school, it was almost natural to him now. Then they came up with the ever so genius of an idea to try and play doubles together. Yeah, that worked out very well. They failed but they didn't know each other then like they do now. Perhaps it could work out if they tried again.

At school Momo would come in to Echizen's class to check up on him or to deliver team messages. Once Momo accidentally interrupted Echizen's English class and was surprised to find that he slept through that class. When Momo voiced his surprise Horio and Tomo both explained, in their obnoxiously loud voices, that Echizen had lived in America and didn't need to stay awake in English class to do well. While Momo felt sorry for Echizen having the most annoying people in the school in his class but he let that go when he realized he found an English tutor.

After school was club. Tezuka would almost assuredly make Momo and Kaidoh run laps but Momo was never actually bothered by it. Tennis was more then something they did for fun. It was their life. When someone wasn't there, including himself, the entire team suffered.

The thought of blaming Echizen for his being kicked off the regulars had crossed his mind but only momentarily. He realized that it really was his own fault and to blame Ryoma for that would be useless because even he knew it wasn't right. Finally Echizen ended up coming to find him after his third day of skipping practice. Echizen would never admit but Momo knew he was worried about his friend more then he let on.

He knew that Echizen had a semi-annoying habit of not watching other peoples, particularly his, games saying that he already knew what the outcome would be. But Momo wasn't stupid he knew that only showed Echizen's faith in his senpai. It was saying that he wasn't worried because he knew that his senpai wouldn't let him down.

Momo's favorite times were when the whole team went out to celebrate a victory at Kawamura's Sushi shop. There Echizen actually looked like he belonged and it was there that he really looked like he wanted to be there. As a senpai it really was Momo's duty to make sure his kohai were happy. Really that's all there was to it. Echizen was one of his kohai and a friend, his best friend actually.

There some days that Echizen really did show that he cared or actually had some emotion, like with Karupin. There were sometimes were if you looked close enough when Momo was jabbering away on his bike bringing Echizen somewhere you could see a glimmer of a smile on his face. There were days if you looked at him on the tennis courts when a challenge actually presented itself he would allow himself one little smile.


End file.
